TODAY marks the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement. As with any anniversary, this one must become a moment for sober reflection and a time to take decisions about the future.By any stretch of the imagination, Guyana — a small state in the international system – has, in an exemplary manner, discharged its obligations under this Agreement. Guyana has not violated the various clauses of this Agreement, nor has it engaged in acts of aggression against its western neighbour, even in the face of the most glaring provocation. And this could only be because Guyana, from the advent of Independence, has declared that it seeks peaceful and productive relations with all states, and has refused to engage in policies which are likely to undermine the peaceful development and security of the region in which it finds itself.

But the nation now finds itself in a situation in which, with the exhaustion of the Good Officer process, Guyana must press on with ensuring that its morally and legally sound case is submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for juridical settlement.

Both our President and Foreign Minister have recognised that the Good Officer process allows Venezuela to prolong the border controversy while engaging in frequent acts of aggression. The President, in particular, in addressing the issue on the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Agreement, is quoted in the press as saying that he is “fed up with Venezuelan aggression and harassment.” This mindset is understandable, considering that Venezuelan aggression has been ongoing from the time of our independence.

The Government must think hard about what it must do in the future to counter Venezuelan aggression and constant propaganda against this country. An information and public relations plan must be devised and effectively executed. We urge our Government to do so on the basis of national unity. We urge again that we do so as a nation that is fully informed on this issue and its implications for our future development.

An extended period of education, modelled on what transpired in the seventies and eighties, might be in order. And we must not fail to prepare for the consequences of decisions taken in Caracas, especially as Venezuela prepares to accede to the Chairmanship of the Security Council. One lesson this nation has learnt over the years is that a united, informed and prepared nation is more than a match for an aggressive Venezuela. A diplomacy founded on these factors is most likely to be successful.

Even though Venezuela has claimed to be an adherent of the philosophy of the great Simon Bolivar, and has signed the Geneva Agreement, its various administrations have engaged in naked aggression against Guyana in violation of international norms and peaceful practices.

It has seized Guyana’s territory even while the Mixed Commission established by the Geneva Agreement was meeting. Caracas has been the architect of several incidents of provocation on our border. And it has engaged in the exercise of economic aggression against a small state with the express purpose of frustrating and delaying its development. Only recently, in an act which is unprecedented in this region, the President of Venezuela issued a decree claiming sovereignty over Guyana’s territorial waters.

It is ironic that these acts of aggression are based on a perverse interpretation of the Geneva Agreement, which says that it is not an instrument for proving the Venezuelan contention of nullity of the 1899 Arbitration Tribunal Award; yet Venezuela has embraced the opportunity to seize Guyana’s land and territorial waters. This is a perversion of international law. And it must be added here that Venezuela is not only deliberately misinterpreting the Geneva Agreement, but has also declared war on it, if the recent statement by its Foreign Minister is anything to go by.

Ultimately, the Guyana Government and the Guyanese people have no quarrel with the people of Venezuela. This is the twenty-first century, in which there is no place for nineteenth century notions of grabbing the land and territorial waters of a small neighbouring country.

Georgetown and Caracas have, over the years, cooperated successfully in many important areas, among them medicine and trade. If Caracas can find it possible to abandon outmoded notions of power, an era of cooperation can be opened up between our two countries. The Geneva Agreement makes provision for such a peaceful and enlightened development.